Superman (Barbra Streisand album)

1977 studio album by Barbra Streisand

Superman

Cover of CD booklet

Studio album by

Barbra Streisand

Released| June 1977
Recorded| March - April 1977
Genre| Pop
Length| 36:41
Label| Columbia
Producer| Gary Klein, Charles Calello (track 6)
Barbra Streisand chronology
| A Star Is Born
(1976)  | Superman
(1977)  | Songbird
(1978)

|
|

Singles from  Superman

1. "My Heart Belongs to Me"
Released: May 1977

Superman (1977) is the nineteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. The lead single "My Heart Belongs to Me" became a hit in 1977, peaking at #4 on the US pop chart. The title track was released as a follow-up but did not chart as highly as its predecessor. The album peaked at number 3 on the Top 200 LP Billboard album chart and on the UK Albums Chart at number 32.[1] It has sold 2 million copies in United States and was certified 2× Platinum.[2] Streisand co-wrote two songs on the album - "Don't Believe What You Read" and "Answer Me". The latter is also featured on her 2023 compilation album Evergreens: Celebrating Six Decades.

## Background and production[edit]

The album was released after the success of Streisand's movie A Star Is Born, from 1976. At that time the movie soundtrack was the singer's best-selling album with 4.1 million copies sold worldwide and a platinum certificate in the United States, for more than 1 million copies sold.[3] According to The New York Times, the album brings sounds from what they called "the second transition in Streisand's career", which began with the Stoney End album, in 1970, in which the singer experimented contemporary pop rock sounds and left aside "old‐fashioned" and "theatrical diva" from her early LPs, and that in Superman she confirms as a "a credible interpreter of contemporary songs".[3]

Two songs were written for the movie A Star Is Born but not used in the picture — "Answer Me" by Streisand, Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher; and "Lullaby for Myself" by Rupert Holmes.[4] It also includes cover versions of contemporary singer-songwriters Kim Carnes' "Love Comes from Unexpected Places" from her album Sailin' and Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" from Turnstiles. According to Joel, Streisand's recording resulted in his mother looking at his career with newfound respect: "Certainly my mom looked at me with fresh eyes--finally, a real singer had picked up on her errant son's efforts."[5]

## Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [6]
Rolling Stone| favorable[7]
The New York Times| Favorable[3]

The album received good reviews from music critics. William Ruhlmann from AllMusic website gave the album three out of five stars and wrote that even though the album "seemed to be an unusually personal album for the singer, reflecting her feelings and viewpoints" it is not one of her best.[6] Dave Marsh from Rolling Stone magazine, wrote that the album was Streisand's best effort since her Stoney End (1970) album,[7] and that it's an "ample evidence that Streisand actually can get away with singing whatever she chooses".[7] He also wrote that even though there are some mannerisms, like her phrasing, "the material is chosen skillfully enough to transcend that".[7] In his review for The New York Times, Stephen Holden wrote that Superman "ranks among the finest of Barbra Streisand's 30plus LP's", and that her "voice is in amazing shape today—stronger, more controlled and more confident than ever".[3]

## Commercial performance[edit]

The album repeated the success of the singer's previous album, the movie soundtrack A Star Is Born, and as of November 1977, it had sold 1.6 million copies in the United States, three times more than the two previous studio albums: Butterfly (1974) and Lazy Afternoon (1975).[3] The album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart and on the UK Albums Chart at number 32.[1] On November 14, 1994, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for 2 million copies sold in the United States.[8]

## Track listing[edit]

1. "Superman" (Richie Snyder) – 2:47
2. "Don't Believe What You Read" (Barbra Streisand, Ron Nagle, Scott Mathews) – 3:37
3. "Baby Me Baby" (Roger Miller) – 4:26
4. "I Found You Love" (Alan Gordon) – 3:50
5. "Answer Me" (Streisand, Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher) – 3:16
6. "My Heart Belongs to Me" (Alan Gordon) – 3:21
7. "Cabin Fever" (Ron Nagle) – 3:14
8. "Love Comes from Unexpected Places" (Kim Carnes, Dave Ellingson) – 4:10
9. "New York State of Mind" (Billy Joel) – 4:44
10. "Lullaby for Myself" (Rupert Holmes) – 3:17

## Personnel[edit]

* Barbra Streisand – vocals
* Gary Klein, Charles Calello (track 6) – producers
* Steve Schapiro – photography
* Alan Broadbent, David Foster, David Paich, David Wolfert, Dennis Budimir, Ed Greene, Eddie Karam, Emil Richards, Fred Tackett, Gary Coleman, Gayle LeVant, Harry Bluestone, Harvey Mason, Israel Baker, Jay Graydon, Jeff Porcaro, John Bahler, John McClure, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Lincoln Mayorga, Michael Boddicker, Mike Melvoin, Plas Johnson, Ralph Grierson, Reine Press, Robben Ford, Scott Mathews, Steve Paietta, Tommy Tedesco, Virginia Berger – musicians
* Augie Johnson, Clydie King, Jim Gilstrap, John Lehman, Julia Tillman Waters, Venetta Fields – background vocals

## Charts[edit]

### Weekly charts[edit]

| Chart (1977)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 11
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] | 1
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[11] | 44
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] | 33
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 46
UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 32
US Billboard 200[15] | 3

### Year-end charts[edit]

| Chart (1977)  | Position

|

US Cash Box[16] | 32

## Certifications[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[17] | Gold  | 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Platinum  | 100,000^
Japan  | —  | 15,000[11]
United States (RIAA)[19] | 2× Platinum  | 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Barbra Streisand - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
2. ^ "RIAA: Streisand Superman -2× Platinum Certification". www.riaa.com. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
3. ^ a b c d e Holden, Stephen (November 6, 1977). "The Best of Streisand Is in Her Records". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
4. ^ "Superman (1977)". Barbra Streisand Archives. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
5. ^ Schruers, Fred (2015). Billy Joel: The Definitive Biography. New York: Crown Archetype. p. 115.
6. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Streisand Superman (Allmusic Review)". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
7. ^ a b c d Marsh, Dave (August 11, 1977). "Rolling Stone Review-Streisand Superman". www.rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2012.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
8. ^ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA: Barbra Streisand". RIAA. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3667". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
11. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
12. ^ "Charts.nz – Barbra Streisand – Superman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
13. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Barbra Streisand – Superman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
14. ^ "Barbra Streisand | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
15. ^ "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
16. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1977". Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
17. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
18. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Superman". Music Canada.
19. ^ "American album certifications – Barbra Streisand – Superman". Recording Industry Association of America.

* v
* t
* e

Barbra Streisand

* Accolades
* Discography

Studio albums|

* The Barbra Streisand Album (1963)
* The Second Barbra Streisand Album (1963)
* The Third Album (1964)
* People (1964)
* My Name Is Barbra (1965)
* My Name Is Barbra, Two... (1965)
* Color Me Barbra (1966)
* Je m'appelle Barbra (1966)
* Simply Streisand (1967)
* A Christmas Album (1967)
* What About Today? (1969)
* Stoney End (1971)
* Barbra Joan Streisand (1971)
* Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments (1973)
* The Way We Were (1974)
* ButterFly (1974)
* Lazy Afternoon (1975)
* Classical Barbra (1976)
* Superman (1977)
* Songbird (1978)
* Wet (1979)
* Guilty (1980)
* Emotion (1984)
* The Broadway Album (1985)
* Till I Loved You (1988)
* Back to Broadway (1993)
* Higher Ground (1997)
* A Love Like Ours (1999)
* Christmas Memories (2001)
* The Movie Album (2003)
* Guilty Pleasures (2005)
* Love Is the Answer (2009)
* What Matters Most (2011)
* Partners (2014)
* Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway (2016)
* Walls (2018)

Live albums|

* A Happening in Central Park (1968)
* Live Concert at the Forum (1972)
* One Voice (1987)
* Barbra: The Concert (1994)
* Timeless: Live in Concert (2000)
* Live in Concert 2006 (2007)
* Back to Brooklyn (2013)
* The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic! (2017)
* Live at the Bon Soir (2022)

Compilations|

* Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits (1970)
* Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 (1978)
* Memories (1981)
* A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More (1989)
* Just for the Record... (1991)
* The Essential Barbra Streisand (2002)
* Duets (2002)
* Barbra: The Ultimate Collection (2010)
* Release Me (2012)
* The Classic Christmas Album (2013)
* Release Me 2 (2021)

Cast recordings
and soundtracks|

* I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962)
* Funny Girl (1964)
* Funny Girl (1968)
* Hello, Dolly! (1969)
* The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)
* On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
* The Way We Were (1974)
* Funny Lady (1975)
* A Star Is Born (1976)
* Yentl (1983)
* Nuts (1987)

Television specials
and videos|

* My Name Is Barbra (1965)
* Timeless: Live in Concert (2001)
* One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at The Village Vanguard (2010)

Tours|

* Barbra Streisand in Concert
* Timeless
* Streisand
* Barbra Live
* Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic

Films directed|

* Yentl (1983)
* The Prince of Tides (1991)
* The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)

Related articles|

* Streisand effect
* "Mecha-Streisand"
* Harold Sings Arlen (With Friend) (featuring album)
* Elliott Gould (first husband)
* Jason Gould (son)
* James Brolin (second husband)
* Roslyn Kind (half-sister)
* My Name Is Barbra (2023 memoir)

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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